{"podcast":{"title":"Get a Grip Podcast","slug":"get-a-grip-podcast-7141471","podcast_index_feed_id":7141471,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/f9cdd698/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://linktr.ee/officialgetagrippodcast","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/41810166/41810166-1742665156512-51f4e5b811028.jpg","author":"Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes","episode_count":167,"summary":"Get a Grip Podcast is hosted by Louis Essig and Aaron Garnes, both in recovery from addiction and alcoholism. In each episode, they share their unfiltered stories of overcoming addiction, time in prison, and struggles with mental health—mixing raw honesty with humor. The podcast gives a voice to the underdog, breaking down the stigma surrounding addiction and recovery. Through candid conversations and real-life experiences, Louis and Aaron inspire others on their journey, showing that while recovery is challenging, it’s possible. Tune in for laughter, hope, and stories of transformation.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/get-a-grip-podcast-7141471"},"episode":{"title":"I Shot Heroin With My Dying Dad & Extracted My Own Teeth… 20 Years of IV Heroin Addiction | Ep 153","slug":"i-shot-heroin-with-my-dying-dad-extracted-my-own-teeth-20-years-of-iv-heroin-addiction-ep-153","published_at":"2026-04-17T23:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/get-a-grip-podcast-7141471/i-shot-heroin-with-my-dying-dad-extracted-my-own-teeth-20-years-of-iv-heroin-addiction-ep-153","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/get-a-grip-podcast-7141471","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/officialgetagrippodcast/episodes/I-Shot-Heroin-With-My-Dying-Dad--Extracted-My-Own-Teeth-20-Years-of-IV-Heroin-Addiction--Ep-153-e3i2ijn","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/APO1369555783.mp3","summary":"In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig flips the script and sits down with co-host Aaron Garnes to uncover the full story behind the man listeners hear every week.Aaron takes it all the way back to his childhood, shaped by chaos, survival, and the shadow of his father’s past—smuggling heroin during Vietnam and living a life that blurred the line between hustle and instability. From loan sharks showing up at their house to moving out to the country to escape it all, Aaron’s early life was anything but normal.Things took a turn when Aaron got into wrestling, but an injury changed everything. What started as pain management—his own father offering him Lortabs—quickly spiraled into addiction as his dad became both supplier and enabler. As the addiction deepened, Dilaudid entered the picture and became the true downfall, setting Aaron on a path that would consume the next two decades of his life.Living with his father as he battled cancer, the two used together for years—bonded by addiction as everything else fell apart. Aaron opens up about the darkest, most shocking parts of that time: going a year without showering, muscle popping, and even extracting his own teeth over the course of two years. As his father slowly died, addiction took priority over everything—including the haunting moment of wheeling his dying dad to pick up a prescription… only for him to pass away the very next day.After his father’s death, Aaron attempted to detox on his own, only to end up homeless and spiraling further. From breaking into a firehouse (his first felony), to violence in county jail, manipulation, and eventually serving three years in prison—this is a story of complete rock bottom. Even after release, the cycle continued: stealing from wealthy…","meta_description":"In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Get a Grip Podcast, Louis Essig flips the script and sits down with co-host Aaron Garnes to uncover the fu…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5975,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/get-a-grip-podcast-7141471/episodes/i-shot-heroin-with-my-dying-dad-extracted-my-own-teeth-20-years-of-iv-heroin-addiction-ep-153/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/get-a-grip-podcast-7141471/i-shot-heroin-with-my-dying-dad-extracted-my-own-teeth-20-years-of-iv-heroin-addiction-ep-153.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}